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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Lyla is caught between to worlds. The isolated Community that she grew up in and the outside world that she's navigating for the very first time. The outsiders call the Community a cult, but Pioneer miraculously survived a shooting that should have killed him. Are the faithful members right to stay true to his message? Is this just a test of faith? One thing is for sure: the Community will do anything to bring Lyla back to the fold. Trapped in a spider's web of deception, will Lyla detect the sticky threads tightening around her before it's too late? She'll have to unravel the mystery of what Pioneer and the Community are truly up to if she wants to survive.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

This week, I'm here to talk about Vampire Weekend. I found them a few years ago when I was listening to the alternative radio on Pandora, by their song Diane Young (which is still one of my favorites).

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves "locked in"-fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus.One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people "locked in"... including the President's wife and daughter.Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can "ride" these people and use these bodies as if they were their own.This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse....

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Today I have an interview with Giselle of Perks of Being a Reader for all of you! She just started blogging recently and I absolutely adore her blog. I'd definitely suggest checking her blog out and giving her a follow!

Let's get onto the interview, shall we?

1. Hardcover or paperback?
Hardcover! Paperbacks always seem to get messed up some how.

2. Book or e-copy?
Book. I love the feel of turning the pages and the smell of books.

3. Library or book store?
I like library for some reason. As much as I love buying books I like checking them out from the library because it reminds me other people read books I do.

4. New books or used books?
I do love buying new books. :)

5. If you were in a book, which type of character would you be?
I would be that lovable sidekick that has a sarcastic sense of humor and everyone loves. Like Simon from the Mortal Instruments or Iko from Cinder.

6. Would you want the book you were featured in to be turned into a movie? Who would play you?
I like the idea of it becoming a movie, but as long as the essence of the book isn't changed. I think Emma Watson should play me, or Jennifer Lawrence.

7. If you could live in any possible genre, which would you choose and why?
I would live in the YA genre and if we had to be specific I would pick fantasy. I like the idea of possibly living in the shadowhunter world or going to school at Hogwarts.

8. If you could meet any one author, who would you meet and why?
Rainbow Rowel. She has amazing way of building characters and i just think she's an awesome story teller.

9. If there was a book about your life, what would it be called?
It would be called The Totally Random Musings of a Fangirl.

10. Which character in a novel most resembles you and why?
I think i'm a lot like Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowel. I even wrote some Harry Potter fanfic

11. How many times have you read your favorite book and will you read it again?
I've read it 5 times, and yes i will. I love Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly!12. Besides reading, what are some of your other favorite hobbies?I like writing. I hope to be an author one day. I also love to dance, and fangirl over my favorite books.13. What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?This is hard. Like Really hard. Either Harry Potter or TFIOS or The Perks of Being a Wallflower.14. What's your favorite book cover color?I don't know. I've never really thought of that. I guess i pick blue? I love TFIOS blue cover.15. How do you organize your books on your bookshelf?For some reason, by color.16. What's your favorite genre of music? Your favorite bands?I love anything alternative. I love Coldplay, Bastille, The 1975, Twenty One Pilots, Haim, Smallpools17. What are some of your favorite bloggers or booktubers?I love polandbananasbooks, Katytastic. Book Bloggers: Lori @pureimagination, This Girl Reads a Lot, your blog, read.breath.relax,18. What's your least favorite genre and why?I don't really like science fiction too much.19. Who's your favorite author?Okay, I can't do this. I can't pick one, so i'll give you a list. Jennifer Donnelly, John Green, Rainbow Rowel, Stephen Chbosky, Melissa Marr, and J.K. Rowling.20. Do you like to listen to music or snack on food while you read, or do you like it really quiet?
I don't listen to music while I read but books do influence the type of music I listen to. If the books is sad i'll listen to ballads. I don't snack either because i don't want to mess up my book.21. How many books do you usually read at a time?
If i have time, one book a day, if i'm crazy busy, like during the school year, i'll be lucky to finish one book in a week.22. If you were allowed to have a party and you could invite any three book characters, which three book characters would you invite and why?
Ohh i like this question. I would invite Jace from The Mortal Instruments, Patrick from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Kishan from The Tigers Curse Series.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

"Welcome to Extraction testing."Clementine has spent her whole life preparing for her sixteenth birthday, when she'll be tested for Extraction in the hopes of being sent from the planet Kiel's toxic Surface to the much safer Core, where people live without fear or starvation. When she proves promising enough to be "Extracted," she must leave without Logan, the boy she loves. Torn apart from her only sense of family, Clem promises to come back and save him from brutal Surface life.What she finds initially in the Core is a utopia compared to the Surface-it's free of hard labor, gun-wielding officials, and the moon's lethal acid. But life is anything but safe, and Clementine learns that the planet's leaders are planning to exterminate Surface dwellers-and that means Logan, too.Trapped by the steel walls of the underground and the lies that keep her safe, Clementine must find a way to escape and rescue Logan and the rest of the planet. But the planet leaders don't want her running-they want her subdued.With intense action scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters, Extraction is a page-turning, gripping read, sure to entertain lovers of Hunger Games and Ender's Game and leave them breathless for more.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Booktubathon is a readathon hosted by some wonderful booktubers on YouTube. For more information, go check out the booktubathon channel!

I thought that I'd join in on the fun and try to participate this year since I couldn't last year since I was on vacation! So, there are 7 challenges and I'm going to try to complete all of them!

1. Read a book with pictures.

2. Start and finish a series.3. A book with red on the cover.4. A book someone else picks out for you.5. A book from the genre you've read least this year.6. A book to movie adaptation. 7. Read seven books.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Today I have an interview with Keely of ireaditandwept for all of you!

"My blog is all about bookish things. I mainly read YA because I am YA, lol but some others do get in the mix."

Let's get onto the interview!

1. Besides reading, what are some of your other favorite hobbies?I play competitive ringette, which is a lot like hockey (even though I would never admit it). I also write (I'm an aspiring author so look out for me).2. What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?I really liked the Pride and Prejudice book to movie adaption (the 2007 one and the tv-series starring Collin Firth)3. What's your favorite book cover color?I like blue any shade of it just looks so pretty!4. How do you organize your books on your bookshelf?I organize them by genre, and I also have special shelves for favourite authors.5. What's your favorite genre of music? Your favorite bands?I like really anything, at the moment I'm really into Fall out Boy which is Punk Rock I think.6. What are some of your favorite bloggers or booktubers?I like Christine from Polandbannanasbooks, because she was the first I discovered, as well as Ariel Bissett from Padfootandprongs0077. What's your least favorite genre and why?Erotica because first off I am underage and second off, just no. I also am not too fond of horror; I get nightmares after reading a mystery imagine what I'd get after reading a horror.8. Who's your favorite author?This is a tough one for me, I'd say it's a tie between Libba Bray and Meg Cabot, oh and Ally Carter and Jane Austen. There is probably more, but I can never decide.9. Do you like to listen to music or snack on food while you read, or do you like it really quiet?
Sometimes I'll eat, but it is difficult because I use two hands to read. And I cannot listen to music I get distracted really easily.10. How many books do you usually read at a time?
Right now I have about ten unfinished books. For me, I like to enjoy every book so I read whatever I am in the mood for at that moment in time, so if I want some contemporary, I am reading contemporary. It does leave a lot of unfinished books, and I can on the norm read 5-10 at a time.11. If you were allowed to have a party and you could invite any three book characters, which three book characters would you invite and why?
Ooh, I like this one. Um, I'll have to pick Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter (they count as one right) because they're the party makers. Then I'll have to pick Simon from The Mortal Instruments because he's funny as well. And lastly I'd choose Calypso Kelly from the Calypso Chronicles by Tyne O'Connell because she is also quite funny.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

One minute sixteen-year-old Ruby Morris is having her first proper snog with Caspar McCloud in a hot tub, and the next she's being bundled inside the house, dripping wet, cold and in her underwear. Not cool. As she and Caspar shiver in the kitchen, it starts to rain. They turn on the radio to hear panicked voices-'It's in the rain... it's in the rain...' That was two weeks ago, and now Ruby is all alone. People weren't prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn't realize that you couldn't drink water from the taps either. Even a drip of rain would infect your blood, and eat you from the inside out. Ruby knows she has to get to London to find her dad, but she just doesn't know where to start... After rescuing all the neighbourhood dogs, Ruby sets off on a journey that will take her the length of the country-surviving the only way she knows how.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Today I have an interview with Greg, whose blog is Blog the Eclectic. He has been blogging since 2010 and his first book, Conditions, was published in 2012. Greg's favorite dystopian novel is Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. Let's get onto the interview, shall we?

1. Besides reading, what are some of your other favorite hobbies?I play historical miniature wargames. I write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. I ref youth soccer.2. What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?The Lord of the Rings movies3. What's your favorite book cover color?Green4. How do you organize your books on your bookshelf?I hate to admit it but, shotgun. In other words, there is no order.5. What's your favorite genre of music? Your favorite bands?Modest Mouse, the Mountain Goats6. What are some of your favorite bloggers or booktubers?DonnieDarkoGirl, L K Hill, Musings on Fantasia, Alison Can Read7. What's your least favorite genre and why?Horror. I don't like to be scared.8. Who's your favorite author?Tough one. Tolkien, Harper Lee, John Toland and Jared Diamond for nonfiction, Poe, Dickens.9. Do you like to listen to music or snack on food while you read, or do you like it really quiet?
I like it quiet, though usually a beverage is good!10. How many books do you usually read at a time?
Up to 3. Usually one fiction and one nonfiction and occasionally one for a review.11. If you were allowed to have a party and you could invite any three book characters, which three book characters would you invite and why?
Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes' sidekick) mostly because he is the storyteller and would have all the color of Homes without the ascerbity. Boomir (from The Fellowship of the Ring) because he is one of the most complex characters in the book. The Raven (from Poe) because I'd like to know where he gets off with his "nevermore".

Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.Until now, that is...For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her 'other' life-a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she's a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she's considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is completely fine in the other.
With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she's always wanted... But just what-and who-is she really risking?

**Thank you so much to BloomsburyUSA for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review!**

Sabine lives two different lives. In Wellesley, she's popular and everyone loves her at school. Sabine has two brothers though she doesn't spend much time with them since they're older than her. She even has a wonderful boyfriend named Dex and everyone tells them that they are literally the perfect couple and that nothing could probably ever tear them apart. In Roxbury, she has a sister named Maddie and a best friend named Capri. She's not popular or anything in this life, but she does have friends and she has a job at the local pharmacy.

Every night at midnight on the dot Sabine switches lives. She goes through what she calls "the shift" which she says can be really exhausting, especially when you switch to a new life where you are sleeping when you were just awake. It takes the body a while to catch up because your body is still asleep while your mind is wide awake and it takes a while to gain control and actually wake up.

One day, Sabine breaks her arm in Roxbury, though when she shifts into Wellesley, it turns out that her broken arm didn't come with her. This doesn't usually happen, so she is really surprised by it. Since she finds that this is how things are, she decides to experiment around a bit and see what things do and don't effect both bodies.

I've never read a book where the main character experiences two different lives, so I really liked that aspect of this book. I also found it really cool that both of her lives were pretty much polar opposites. Sabine really knew what it was like to be both popular and normal, so it meant that she did have a good head on her shoulders compared to most popular characters in books who are mostly snobby to everyone else. Sabine was not like that at all.

Another really cool thing about this book was that Sabine seriously lead two different lives. It's like she's 18 but she's really 36, because she doesn't skip days in both of her lives. So she will have to live two Saturday, July 2, 2010's instead of just one, and they happen right after the other. So in reality she had a ten day school week and then a four day weekend. In reality, Sabine had to go through school twice, and then graduate twice. It's just really weird to think about; the fact that someone would have to do that. I mean, she's really smart, so it clearly paid off in the long run.

I also loved Ethan. Yes, I think I need to devote like a paragraph to that guy. I won't get into detail about who he is or anything because I don't want to spoil, but just know that you have him to look forward to. He was such an awesome character and I loved every single thing about him. I didn't really like Sabine's parents in Roxbury though. They were such a pain to her! Her mother in Wellesley was so incredibly cool. She was always there for Sabine and it was really sweet.

This is the first book that I've read by Jessica Shirvington, though I'm definitely going to try to check out her other books and any more of her books that she writes in the future because this one was all around really interesting. It was such a unique idea and I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for a paranormal-contemporary twist of a novel.

True enemies. False hope.Sephy is part of the ruling class. Callum is considered a second-class citizen. They have been friends all their lives, since before there were barriers and boundaries. Now, things are different--they have to meet in secret, as hate and violence seethe dangerously close to the surface of their society's fragile order.Once, Sephy and Callum thought they had to protect their love; now, they must defend their very lives...

So I bought this book a few months ago at a huge book sale and I had been wanting to read it ever since I sat it on my shelf. I finally decided that I needed a break from all my Netgalley books and that I should treat myself to a read that I really wanted to read! I'm so glad that I did, because this book was absolutely extraordinary.

Basically, in this world, darker skinned people are the ruling class and white citizens are the second class.
Only first class people get to go to schools and get an education, while second class citizens can only get schooling up until they are 14. So when Callum gets the chance to go back to school after being out of school for 2 years (he's now 16), Sephy helps him study in order to get him into school. Of course, he's accepted and gets to go along with 3 other second class citizens. He gets bullied a lot at school and picked on and gets awkward stares from others because he's second class and other people look to him as something lower than themselves.

Sephy is part of the upper class while her best friend Callum is not. They had been friends ever since Callum's mother started babysitting and helping around Sephy's house as a job many years ago. Sephy's mom and Callum's mom were absolutely best friends until one day Sephy's mother fired Callum's mother. Ever since then, Callum and Sephy have had to secretly meet in private at their spot on the beach, telling lies to their parents about where they are going every time they meet up.

Basically, they definitely have crushes on each other. They may not see it just yet, though the reader can see that there is definitely something going on between them. They were even each other's first kiss! They know that they should not be together, but they also know that they would do anything for each other, so it may just be worth it, at least to them.

The hard part about this is that Callum's sister has history of being with someone of a different class and things didn't end well. Plus, Sephy's father is really against the second class. He wants nothing to do with them, and since he's really important in their state, he has a lot of say in how things go and how things are run. He's even upset when 4 lower class citizens pass the test and are accepted by the school! He was hoping all along that nobody would get in at all!

Despite their two year age difference, Sephy and Callum get along really well. I loved their friendship and the way that they told each other absolutely everything, no matter what the cost. I also really liked how this book took place over a long period of time. It starts out when Sephy is 14 and Callum is 16, and then it skips ahead a bit to when Sephy is about 17 and Callum is 19. I liked how there were also radical groups that did everything in their power to go against the government and their class system, because everyone is absolutely the same in every way, and nobody should be put down. Everyone is capable of being smart enough to go out and achieve their goals, so people shouldn't be so against others. It's just cruel, so I loved the radical groups.

This book left on such a cliffhanger, so I'll definitely be picking up the next book. I'm just not so sure I like that the characters are so much older in the next book!

Notable quotes:

Some things will never change. That's just the way it is. But don't you believe them.

People are people. We'll always find a way to mess up, doesn't matter who's in charge.

The higher you climb, the further you have to fall.

Recommended for fans of:
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

So, lately I have been thinking about starting a booktube channel. I spend most of my time watching BookTube when I'm not reading or listening to music, so it seems like a logical thing to do. Of course, I'd still keep up the blog, too. I just think it would be fun!

I actually find myself more prone to watch a BookTube video review than read an actual review on someone's blog. I don't know why, maybe because it's quicker sometimes or I enjoy seeing a person's facial expressions as they explain books. Don't get me wrong, I still read blog reviews, but I enjoy BookTube reviews more.

This is pretty much me when I see that one of the channels I'm subscribed to posts a new video:

What are your thoughts on BookTube and blogging? Which do you prefer or do you like them both equally?

Zack Lightman is daydreaming through another dull math class when the high-tech dropship lands in his school's courtyard-and when the men in the dark suits and sunglasses leap out of the ship and start calling his name, he's sure he's still dreaming.
But the dream is all too real; the people of Earth need him. As Zack soon discovers, the videogame he's been playing obsessively for years isn't just a game; it's part of a massive, top-secret government training program, designed to teach gamers the skills they'll need to defend Earth from a possible alien invasion. And now... that invasion is coming.
As he and his companions prepare to enter their ships and do battle, Zack learns that the father he thought was dead is actually a key player in this secret war. And together with his father, he'll uncover the truth about the alien threat, race to prevent a genocide, and discover a mysterious third player in the interplanetary chess game he's been thrown into.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

If you guys didn't know, I am a MEGA fan of music. I particularly love Alternative music, though I really like other genres as well. As long as it's a catchy song, I'm absolutely in love. So since I love music so much, I thought I'd start making posts weekly every Tuesday for a while to introduce to you a particular band or singer that I adore, because I love music so much!

So this week, I thought I'd talk about Imagine Dragons. I know that they are so well known, but I absolutely love them. I found them a in 2012 right when their album came out that October. My favorite song was obviously Radioactive, along with the rest of the world.

Though they have many great songs on their album such as It's Time and On Top of the World, they also have other songs that haven't been as popular, including Selene and Pantomime, which are two of my most listened to songs by them. Selene just has such a catchy chorus and there's just something about Pantomime that just makes me want to keep clicking the repeat button!

I am absolutely obsessed with music. I love it so dang much. I'm always listening to music, from the second I wake up until the second that I go to bed. I'm actually hoping to start doing a weekly music post where I talk about one of my favorite singers or bands so I can introduce some new music to all of you!

I get into pretty bad reading slumps. I've gotten into quite a few in the last year and I think it may just be because I've read so many great books that I get worried nothing will live up to the book that I just read.

I adore The Great Gatsby. I have yet to read the book, which is kinda sad and pathetic... but the movie is absolutely amazing.

I really love superheroes. My favorite superhero is Captain America, though I really like Superman as well. What can I say, I'm kinda a geek.

I love boots, especially Doc Martens. They give me pretty bad blisters, but I love them too much to stop wearing them.

I also love converse. I bought a pair of black hi tops last spring and I've worn them pretty much nonstop since then because they go with pretty much everything.

I think guy's t-shirts are way cooler than girls t-shirts. The guys shirts always seem to have better designs!